&EPA United States Cleanup of Red Hook Park Ball Fields 5-8 Completed; Environmental Protection Agency Ball Field 9 to be Completed This Summer Brooklyn, New York Community Update No. 15 Winter 2022 CLEANUP OF BALL FIELDS 5-8 FINISHED Under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) oversight, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks) has finished the cleanup of Red Hook Park Ball Fields 5-8. The ball fields were contaminated with lead from a former secondary lead smelting facility known as Columbia Smelting and Refining Works, which once stood atop what is now Ball Field 7. Beginning March 2019, NYC Parks' contractors removed fencing, most of the trees, curbing, other Contractors installing artiticai turf on Ball Fields 5 - 8 structures, and the top layer of soil at the ball fields. Contractors placed brightly colored plastic fencing as a visual barrier, labeled in the graphic below as a demarcation layer, over the deeper contaminated soil. This visual barrier was covered with at least one foot of clean soil or other material. NYC Parks then installed artificial turf over all of the ball fields. This barrier system permanently reduces the chance of people coming into contact with contaminated soil on these fields, and will be inspected routinely. A bioswale (planted areas along the fields that collect storm water that runs off the fields when it rains), new trees, and other improvements were also added. WORK AT BALL FIELD 9 CONTINUES Work at Ball Field 9, which began September 2019, is expected to be completed in summer 2022. Contractors removed contaminated soil which included hand digging around existing trees. Contractors also removed existing concrete curbing and asphalt walkways and installed new drainage structures and lighting throughout the site. Similar to Ball Fields 5-8, contractors will place a visual barrier over deeper contaminated soil and cover the barrier with at least one foot of clean soil or other material. Contractors will also install artificial turf over the ball field, as well as add new curbing, walkways and new dugouts for the baseball field. EPA is ensuring that dust from construction activities is controlled using water spray and by applying water to areas that are dug up. The air is being monitored throughout the cleanup to protect people's health. Details on all the steps involved in the cleanup process can be found on EPA's website for the project at: www.epa.gov/superfund/columbia-smelting Please visit NYC Parks' website for information about plans for other fields within Red Hook Park: https://www.nvcgovparks.org/about/whats- happening/red-hook-park-remediation. NYC Parks layout of barrier and cover for Red Hook Park Ball Fields WHAT IS SECONDARY LEAD SMELTING? Secondary lead smelting plants refine scrap or used lead materials into metallic lead of a higher purity. Such materials can include the lead plates from batteries, lead pipe or metal sheets that contain lead. Secondary smelting can be responsible for releasing lead into the surrounding environment through lead fume emissions. Lead dust and smoke can be released through the smelting process, and slag, or waste contaminated with lead may be left over after the smelting process. WHY IS LEAD A PROBLEM? Lead is a toxic metal that was used for many years in paint and leaded gasoline. Lead poisoning can cause many harmful health effects, particularly in children under the age of six. Exposure to lead in soil can occur when children play in the dirt and put their hands or dusty toys in their mouths. Lead can also get into your body by breathing or swallowing lead dust, or by eating soil containing lead. EPA and our federal partners are committed to a collaborative approach to address this threat, and improve health outcomes for our nation's most vulnerable citizens - our children. ------- Community Update No. 15 Winter 2022 Red Hook Park Ball Fields to be cleaned up by NYC Parks under EPA oversight WHY DO THE BALL FIELDS NEED TO BE CLEANED UP? As part of an investigation of the former Columbia smelting plant, EPA and NYC Parks sampled soil throughout all areas of Red Hook Park. Sampling showed elevated lead levels from the former Columbia facility in surface soil across Ball Fields 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. As a result, Ball Fields 5-8 were closed in Spring 2015 and remained closed until the cleanup was completed in December 2021. At Ball Field 9, elevated lead levels were found only in deeper soil samples. Ball Field 9 remained open for public use until cleanup work began in September 2019. SIMPLE STEPS TO REDUCE YOUR LEAD EXPOSURE Lead is frequently found in urban soil at elevated levels. The following steps are recommended to reduce your potential exposure to lead contamination in soil: • Remove shoes at the door before entering your home to prevent tracking in any dirt that may be on your shoes. Clean the bottom of your shoes with a wet wipe or paper towel. • Wash your hands and face after visiting these ball fields and always before eating, drinking, or smoking. • Avoid digging into or disturbing soil below the surface of the fields. If you would like information about the site please contact: Natalie Loney Dan Gaughan U.S. EPA U.S. EPA Community Involvement Coordinator On-Scene Coordinator (212) 637-3639 (732) 906-6984 lonev.natalie@epa.gov gaughan.daniel@epa.gov Or visit the EPA's website at: https://www.eDa.gov/superfund/columbia-smelting HOW DO I GET UPDATES? EPA and NYC Parks will continue providing updates to the community on the status of the cleanup efforts in various ways, including fact sheets, letters to park users, updates to the websites and public information sessions where EPA and NYC Parks will be available to present plans and answer questions. If you would like to receive updates for Ball Fields 5-8 and 9 directly via mail or email, please contact Natalie Loney at (212) 637-3639 or lonev.natalie@epa.gov. EPA established an information repository at the Red Hook Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, where the public can review and copy records related to EPA's investigation and the cleanup of Ball Fields 5-8 and 9. ------- |